Essay about Effectiveness of a Modest Proposal - 1215 Words

The year is 1729. Life in Dublin, Ireland consists of less living and more suffering. Over population and poverty become every familys newest members. Catholics and Protestants are in constant struggle, as their two hundred year battle continues in the land of green. One man filled with bitterness takes on the task of slapping fellow countrymen in the face with reality. One man named Jonathan Swift provides the hand. Jonathan Swift writes A Modest Proposal with no other motive than the public good of my country. He writes criticism upon the countrymen of Ireland, upon the masses. With his proposal, Swifts intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars, because he wants to†¦show more content†¦If sold properly, a mother should make about 8 schillings net profit from selling her child. In his mind, the practice of selling and eating kids will help the home front as well. Husbands will treat their wives with more respec t, and in turn mothers will begin to value their children. The author concludes that if this project is taken into action it will do more to solve Irelands complex social, political, and economic problems than another other proposal. Yet Swifts proposal is hopes to solve the problem in a different way than eating babies. In the real world, A Modest Proposal is anything but modest, and this was Swifts point. Multiple techniques used throughout the piece make this an effective idea. One of his techniques is the use of satire, which is anything less than ingenious. The proposal, in reality, is vulgar and inhumane, and thus becomes effective. Sarcasm becomes a great tool for the use of satire. Human kind would never support such an outlandish idea. To the speaker, the proposal becomes the panacea over all other ideas because a solution is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. Although he knows other ideas will work, he is making an obvious challenge for other s to come up with their own solution. Throughout the piece Swifts satire becomes a challenge to the masses, that if this idea is so wrong, he wants the public to find their own solution. By approaching such aShow MoreRelated The Effectiveness of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay2433 Words   |  10 PagesThe Effectiveness of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public - Jonathan Swift 1729. In reading this you will discover the answer to the above question in three parts;  · How effective is it as an argument  · How effective is it as a piece of information  · How effective is it as satire A Modest Proposal first appearedRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal1562 Words   |  7 PagesThesis: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal is the most effective in conveying its proposal against Imperialism as a universal theme. Directional Statement: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal successfully uses evidence to support its proposal and an effective style of writing. It also presents a clearly defined problem and solution compared to George Orwell s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† and Thomas Jefferson s â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. 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In â€Å"Advice to Youth†, is a didactic by Mark Twain where heRead MoreEssay on Swifts Powerful Message in A Modest Proposal1136 Words   |  5 PagesSwifts Powerful Message in A Modest Proposal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   In the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ states that there will always be poor, pathetic, struggling masses and nothing we can do will ever completely eliminate this element.   Swift also acknowledges the homeless people, but in a different vein than Christ.   In A Modest Proposal, the narrator expresses pity for the poor, but at the same time he strives to maintain his social dominance over them.   According to Swift, the English-Irish commonRead More Satire, Humor, and Shock Value in Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay1021 Words   |  5 PagesSatire, Humor, and Shock Value in Swifts A Modest Proposal Swifts message to the English government in A Modest Proposal deals with the disgusting state of the English-Irish common people. Swift, as the narrator expresses pity for the poor and oppressed, while maintaining his social status far above them. The poor and oppressed that he refers to are Catholics, peasants, and the poor homeless men, women, and children of the kingdom. This is what Swift is trying to make theRead MoreCompare/Contrast Thomas Jefferson and Jonathan Swift1434 Words   |  6 PagesJefferson’s A Declaration of Independence may be thought of as a universal symbol of traditional American values, however in it exists several layers of meaning, each appealing to the reader and their sense of social responsibility. While Swift’s A Modest Proposal attempts a similar entreaty to the public’s sympathy, it diverges drastically in its use of satire. While the style of each work individually differs, their function is essentially the same: to seek out t he reader’s sense of empathy in an effortRead MoreAnalysis Of On Dumpster Diving Essay1671 Words   |  7 Pagesthink of him as a regular transgender boy who came out to his very religious father. Their unwillingness to accept you for who you are can cause some to feel extreme depression Q4: What is the effectiveness in using such unusual ideas or characters in Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† The effectiveness of using such unusual ideas was to draw the people s attention, rather than allowing them to constantly avoid Ireland s substantial problems he wrote something to make them listen. If Jonathan